never too late /style💙💚

chapter 12: not alone..

kenny slowly opened his eyes and looked around to see where they were. they were in the tiny alley where they had had the ritual the day before. but something was wrong.
as you can imagine, kyle woke up on the street where he had been ran over, so he wasn't with the others. but he wasn't the only one who wasn't in the alley: there were only kenny and cartman.

kenny: "cartman! cartman wake up!!"

cartman opened his eyes, and saw kenny, who was repeatedly slapping him trying to wake him up.

cartman: "HEY!!"
cartman: "wh-where are we?"
kenny: "in the alley, remember? but we've got a problem"
cartman: "what a surprise.."
kenny: "stan isn't here. he should've been, actually. this was the last point of the living world we've been at."
cartman: "maybe, he woke up before we did and he's already at the graveyard"
kenny: "then why didn't he tell us?"
cartman: "isn't it obvious? he wanted to go as far as possible from us and keep for himself the rest of the dollars"
kenny: "no it's not like him, he probably went to the street where kyle was ran over and searched for him. let's go to the street"

[meanwhile, stan's pov]

a light-touch caressed stan's face.
he indolently opened his eyes, expecting to wake up in the alley with kenny and cartman. but he was in a total different place.

stan: "k-ken-"

once his eyes were completely opened, he realised it wasn't kenny touching his face, because neither kenny or cartman were there

stan: "guys-? i-is anyone here?"

he looked around to figure out where he ended up, realising he was on the street where kyle died.

stan: "what does this me-"

he stopped talking when he realised. when kyle died, he died too. because in that moment, even if he was alive, his soul died.

stan: "k-kyle? a-are you here too? since we came back to the living world i can't see you anymore"

stan's face got lightly-touched again, this time a little longer. kyle was contemplating stan's face, similing at him, but stan couldn't see it.

stan: "kyle? if this is you, shake those leaves on the side walk"

as stan expected, each leaf on the side walk began to move and then flew away, lifted by the wind

stan: "ok, dude. since i won't be able to see you until you enter your body again, we have to learn a way to communicate. what about: one touch on my shoulder to say «yes» and two touches to say «no». three touches if you want to say something, then try to drag your finger on my back to say what you want. what do you think?"

stan received one touch on his right shoulder; it meant "yes".

stan: "now, follow me. we gotta find kenny and cartman"

kyle replied by touching stan's shoulder once, so stan started walking to the small alley where the three boys had had the ritual.
meanwhile, kenny and cartman were going to the street, so they all met up halfway through

kenny: "here you are, stan! is kyle with you?"
stan: "yes, he is"
cartman: "where have you been? you tried to go away to not give us the money, did you?"
stan: "what?? no. i spawned on the street where kyle was ran over."
kenny: "really??"
cartman: *thinking, to himself* "cupid me went too far this time.."
stan: *replying to kenny* "yes. now, let's go to the graveyard"

stan, kyle, kenny and cartman were now going to the graveyard. it was the 31st of october and it was night, and there were three fourteen years old boys walking in a graveyard, and they were with a ghost friend who was following them. suddenly, stan stopped walking, the others didn't know; but his shoulder got touched three times. after some second, kenny and cartman saw him with a confused face. they couldn't understand what was happening, but kyle dragged his finger on stan's back, writing: "ghosts"

stan: *to kyle* "ghosts? you mean here??"

kyle touched stan's shoulder once, and stan was visibly paling with terror.

kenny: "wh-what is it, dud-"
stan: *to kyle* "a-are they n-nice??"
cartman: "what are you talking abou-"

cartman didn't even have time to finish that sentence, that stan started looking even more terrified; kyle had touched his shoulder twice.

cartman: "seriously dude, what's happening??"
stan: "g-guys, w-we m-might have a p-problem. kyle's not the only ghost here."
kenny: "how do you-"
stan: "we communicate, he drags his finger on my back to compose words"
stan: "a-are they evil, kyle?"

this time, he only received one touch. his friends could understand kyle's replies by looking at stan's face, and they didn't like those answers

cartman: "a-are we i-in danger, k-kyle?"

stan got touched once for the second time. they were all scared

stan: "a-are y-you ab-able to protect us, hon- ehm, dude??"

even this time, stan got touched once, luckily.

stan: "t-thank you.."

kyle formed a heart by running his finger down stan's back. stan started smiling, but he still felt anxious because of the previous answers.

kenny: "we'll take too much time if we go all together, we have to separate"
cartman: "what?? are you crazy or something?? if kyle goes with stan, what the fuck will we do??"
kenny: "i know those ghosts, guys! they're envious of alive people so they kill some every halloween. they basically killed me every year and hate me for the immortality thing."
stan: "so, kyle and i will search for his grave in the eastern and southern parts of the graveyard, and you two will go in the northern and western parts. what do you think??"
kenny: "yeah, it's fine"
cartman: *to kenny* "and if they kill you, then who will stay with me? i can't see those bitches"
kenny: "i'll become a ghost too, fatass"
cartman: "if you let me die, i'll be your worst nightmare"
kenny: "sounds fair enough"

then, kyle touched stan's shoulder once, confirming that he agreed with the plan too.
the graveyard was dark and unsettling, but stan was followed by his ghost, and eric had his immortal friend. internet didn't work at all in the graveyard, so stan brought three walkie-talkies, and gave one to kenny and another one to cartman. everything seemed to be working, until stan's shoulder got touched three times again.

stan: "damn.."
stan: "wh-what's up now?"
stan: *trying to read what kyle's finger was dragging on his back* "t - h - e - y? they? a - r - e - h - e - r - e.. they are here??"

his shoulder got now touched once; yes, those ghosts were close to stan. then, kyle ran his finger on stan's back again, writing something.

stan: "r...? u...? n..? RUN??!"

one touch again, stan had to go as far as possible from there. he ran for almost six minutes without stopping. but then, leaves in front of him started shaking and twigs started breaking.

stan: "k-kyle-? is-is this y-you??"

this time, he didn't receive any answer. instead, he started feeling a deep breath on his neck. he wanted to run even faster than before, but his legs were paralysed and he couldn't move at all..